Delay in disbursal of education grant leaves Dalit students in the lurch

Six of the 10 students who were selected under a special government scheme have been asked by the school management to leave the school due to the delay in disbursal of grant by the government.

Bright students among the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Christian converts from SC/STs are selected under a special scheme to study in reputed residential schools where the State would bear their entire educational expenses till Standard XII.

The aggrieved students have approached the district administration after they allegedly failed to receive the grant for the academic year 2013-14.

As per the scheme, bright students are selected from the said communities studying in Standard V in government, corporation, municipal, government-aided, Adi Dravidar Welfare schools and government tribal residential schools. They are admitted in Standard VI and the entire expenditure of these students is borne by the government till they complete Standard XII.

Based on their academic performance in Standard V, one student per block in the district was selected during the academic year 2011-12 and they were admitted to renowned schools with hostel facilities. However, the students, as well as their parents, during the public grievance redressal day meeting held on Monday alleged that the school, where the were studying had intimated them that they could not attend classes as the school had not received the grant.

One of the parents, E.Karuppaiah from Chellampatti, said his son who was studying in Standard IX under the scheme, was yet to receive the grant for the current academic year. “I took up the issue with officials and they have assured me that they would look into it.”

Meanwhile, the school, run by Roman Catholics, maintained that the institution did not ask the students to leave the school. But it told them that the school had not received the grant and asked them to clarify it with the district administration.

However, all the students were later admitted to the hostel in the evening after the intervention of the district administration.